Manhattanhenge 2025 is just around the corner, meaning yet again the good people of New York City will be gathering to watch the Sun 'kiss the grid'.
The Big Apple's gridiron layout of streets means that four times each year, people gather to watch the Sun rise and set between blocks of buildings in what’s known as Manhattanhenge or the Manhattan Solstice.
Manhattanhenge – in tribute to England’s neolithic monument Stonehenge – describes four days when the Sun is aligned with the streets that run east to west in Manhattan.
During each one of these events, onlookers stand in the middle of any of the numbered east-to-west streets on the grid and witness – by looking east (for a sunrise) or west (for a sunset) – the Sun sitting on the horizon between the borough’s famous skyscrapers.
Equinoxes, solstices and the Sun
Exactly where the Sun sets and rises changes constantly throughout the year, and understanding equinoxes and solstices helps explain why events like Manhattanhenge occur.
At each equinox, in March and September, the Sun rises due east and sets due west across the world.
In the Northern Hemisphere, after March’s equinox, the Sun appears to rise in the northeast and set in the northwest.
This culminates at the June solstice, when it appears to stop (solstice means ‘Sun standstill’) before moving back to rise due east and set due west at the September equinox.
The Sun then appears to rise and set further south, with the December solstice marking the furthest southeast sunrise and southwest sunset.
Why Manhattanhenge happens
When the pattern of solstices is imposed on Manhattan’s gridiron street layout, it produces a Manhattanhenge effect.
If the borough’s streets were aligned perfectly with the cardinal points, Manhattanhenge would take place on the equinoxes.
However, that’s not the case, because the gridiron is aligned 29˚ clockwise from true east–west.
In practice, that produces two groups of two days, each 22/23 days on either side of the date of the June solstice, when the Sun sets 29˚ north of due west (being 270˚).
That precise azimuth means that the Sun must set on the grid of Manhattan.
Manhattanhenge 2025 days and times
The most impactful view of Manhattanhenge is when half of the Sun’s disc is visible on the grid at sunset, because you get to see the Sun ‘kiss the grid’.
These ‘kiss the grid’ evenings both come with a bonus evening a day later, when you can see the entire Sun’s disc sit on the grid just before the moment of sunset begins.
Half Sun 'kiss the grid'
- Wednesday, May 28 at 20:13 ET
- Saturday, July 12 at at 20:20 ET
Full Sun on the grid
- Thursday, May 29 at 20:12 pm ET
- Friday, July 11 at 20:20 pm ET
A word on safety: observing the Sun with the naked eye, even at sunset, could damage your eyesight, and so it is advisable to never look directly at the Sun.
Manhattanhenge at sunrise
These are the headline acts, the attention-grabbing moments that the media reports and that people will travel to see.
The Manhattanhenge effect also works at sunrise, but since 5 December and 8 January – either side of the December solstice – are generally bitterly cold and cloudy in Manhattan, few are in a position to watch the rising Sun sit on the grid.
Other famous city henges
Other examples of similar alignments include Chicagohenge (on the dates of the equinoxes), Torontohenge (16 February and 25 October) and even Milton Keynes-henge (where the main street
frames the rising Sun on the June solstice).
There's also Phillyhenge (in Philadelphia, PA), California Henge (in San Francisco) and Montreal Henge.
What makes Manhattan the standout is the clear horizon beyond its grid, thanks to the Hudson River.
Although the ‘kiss the grid’ sunsets get all the attention, for those with a keen astronomical eye,
the Manhattanhenge effect extends from the first event on 28 May to the last on 12 July, when the
Sun can be seen crossing the grid as it sets each evening.
It means 45 evenings of fabulous sunsets, clear skies allowing.
Best places to see Manhattanhenge
The best views looking west at sunset are in the eastern half of Manhattan, above 14th Street and below 155th Street, with prime spots including 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd and 57th Streets.
The most popular places to watch Manhattanhenge include the junction of 14th Street and Third Avenue, Tudor City Bridge and Central Park’s Great Lawn.
If you want a good spot, it pays to get there early, at least a few hours before sunset.
Seven of the best places to view Manhattanhenge are:
- E 14th Street and Third Avenue
- E 23rd Street and Fifth Avenue or Broadway
- W 34th Street and Fifth Avenue
- Tudor City Bridge, E 42nd Street
- W 57th Street and Eighth Avenue
- Great Lawn, Central Park
- W 79th Street and Columbus
You can see these spots in our map below.
Photograph Manhattanhenge 2025
A clear sky is the key to photographing a Manhattanhenge sunset, and this is a great opportunity to capture the colour of the Sun safely, watching how it changes as it sets.
Clouds will completely kill this spectacle, so check weather forecasts.
You can get a good shot with any camera or smartphone, but you can take both close-ups and wide angles if you use a camera with a zoom lens.
Never look through the viewfinder when photographing a sunset – only look at the image on the camera’s rear screen.
You’ll need to stand in the middle of the street, so care is of course needed.
For more advice, read our guide to sunset photography.
Have you seen or photographed Manhattanhenge? Share your experiences and images with us via contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com.
This article appeared in the June 2023 issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine
